Christian Solidarity Worldwide, November 20, 2024

63 religious leaders have signed a declaration decrying the Cuban government’s systematic violation of freedom of religion or belief, refusing unregistered places of worship to be legalised and applying onerous fines on religious leaders.

The declaration states that, ‘We observe with dismay that the Cuban state refuses to open spaces for the exercise of fundamental rights.  This limits churches’ ability to provide support and social aid to those most in need.’  The statement then notes the negative impact on those most in need.

Since 1 January 2024 CSW has documented 69 cases across 11 provinces of religious leaders targeted by government officials with fines. In June, the leader of a Christian group in Matanzas was fined 20,000 CUP for not vacating the location where the group holds religious services. In October, leaders of two registered Christian religious groups were fined 15,000 CUP and 50,000 CUP for authorised renovations to their properties.   Ladies in White are also regularly fined to prevent them from attending Sunday church services.

The heavy fines on religious leaders come when Cuba is facing one of its worst economic crises in decades, been hit by a series of hurricanes and tropical storms, experienced an earthquake, and seen its national power grid fail multiple times. An estimated 10% of the population is believed to have fled the country over the past five years.

Morning Star News, November 20, 2024

Javed Masih saw his 18-year-old daughter for the first time in 5 months since she was forcibly married to a Muslim.

Sana went to a shop in Lahore on June 9 and did not return.

“Our search ended in mid-October. I got a phone call from a Christian in Balochistan who told me where she was.”

A Muslim woman named Hafsa had befriended Sana on WhatsApp a few days before she disappeared.

“She blackmailed her to meet in person without us knowing,” Masih said. “She sent her money and directed her to board two buses to cross into a remote village in Balochistan.”

“A cleric was called, Sana forced to recite the proclamation of conversion to Islam and marry an elderly Muslim man, a maternal uncle of Hafsa, under threats of violence.”

Sana’s family filed a report, but police did not try to find her.

The family asked others to pray with them and visited pastors and churches for prayer support.  The answer came when Waseem, a Christian schoolteacher in Balochistan, phoned Masih to tell him Sana was in his village.  A local Muslim politician had received information from a female family member about her and contacted him to help find her family.

“I do not know his name, but God used him to free our daughter from captivity,” Masih said of the politician.”

A legal team from Christians’ True Spirit (CTS) accompanied police and family to Balochistan to recover Sana on Nov. 14.

barnabasaid, November 19, 2024

A shocking video released by Boko Haram in October shows the beheading of four civilians in Borno State, Nigeria.

At least one of the victims was a Christian, a young woman who was the niece of one of the fighters who abducted her.

The fighter justified taking part in the killing by explaining, “We do not share the same faith as her.”

The terrorists also declared that they would intensify their attacks in the region.

Boko Haram has been operating in Nigeria for more than 10 years.  In April 2014 they infamously abducted 276 girls, mostly Christians, from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.

Boko Haram are just one of the Islamist groups active in northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.

On 10 November fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province attacked a Christian village in Chibok, burning down several homes.

Voice of the Martyrs, November 21, 2024

Samal suffered a head wound and impaired movement in one arm after her drunken relative, Arman, attacked her with a shovel. Kazakh police arrested Arman and said he could face seven years in prison for the assault.

While meeting with police, Samal, a new Christian, said she experienced an angelic vision during which she was encouraged to forgive Arman. 

Though she initially resisted, Samal eventually forgave her relative. When she did, her pain vanished, and her arm was healed. She then dropped all charges against Arman and told the police she had been speaking with an angel. Arman is now visiting her church, and its members are praying that he will also come to know Christ.

Formerly under Communist rule as a republic of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan is one of Central Asia’s wealthiest nations because of its vast mineral resources. Islam has experienced a resurgence since the fall of the Soviet Union, and many have returned to what they consider their Muslim heritage, which was restricted for decades by atheistic communism.

Today, Kazakhstan emulates its European neighbors, undertaking massive construction projects, enjoying a growing economy and adopting the Latin alphabet used by Western nations.

Christian converts are often disowned by their families, publicly shamed and even beaten. All religious activities must be registered with the government, and believers are commonly fined for distributing unauthorized religious texts, discussing faith or holding worship meetings.

Joshua Project, November 22^nd, 2024

The Bhoksa have 15 clans but are not clannish. They are Hindu, but they still like Christmas! They live in Himalayan forests although they did not originate there. They live in Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir of India, and they are a Scheduled Caste, so they have low status.

After marriage, wives cannot see some in-laws. They fear spirits and ghosts, worship Hindu gods, and celebrate Hindu festivals. They resist the modernization of society.

Lack of outreach in this highly unreached part of India, rugged terrain, and minimal infrastructure are main obstacles to getting the gospel to the Bhoksa people. There is no Bible in their language although some read Hindi, which has a Bible.  

Christmas can be used as a bridge to open them to the gospel. Their need for medical care, education, improved agriculture, sanitation, and safe water can open the door for Christ followers with the right skills to serve and witness to them in the love of Christ.

Pray for the believers in this people group to become not merely hearers but doers of God’s word.

Pray that the very few believers would grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord and in boldness of witness, especially at Christmas time. Pray that God would direct believing physicians, agriculturalists, educators, sanitation engineers and Bible translators to work among them.

Morning Star News, October 25th, 2024 (excerpts)

Islamist villagers in eastern Uganda burned a pastor and his family to death after he led three Muslims to faith in Christ, the pastor’s brother said.

Pastor Mukisa, his 25-year-old wife Annet Namugaya and their two daughters, 7-year-old Judith Banirye and 4-year-old Sylvia Bamukisa, died when the assailants set fire to their home shortly before 3 a.m. on Oct. 13, said the church leader’s brother, James Tusubira. Pastor Mukisa was 30.

The attack took place in Kibale village, Namutumba District. Pastor Mukisa had led the Muslims to Christ in September.

“When the 3 young Muslims converted to Christ, my brother started receiving threatening messages that he should stop any contact with the three young converts, and that the act committed is against teaching of Islam to not join the religion of infidels,” Tusubira told Morning Star News.

Tusubira saw flame and smoke coming from the family’s home at 2:48 a.m.

“We rushed to the scene of the incident and found the house torched and the 5 bodies burned beyond recognition. Many people started arriving till the break of the day. Plastic bottles of petrol were found outside the house.”

The assailants were from a neighbouring village and were known to the pastor, Tusubira said.

The killings have been reported to police in Kibale. Officers were hunting for the suspects, who have absconded.